Warning label for sugary drinks passes California Senate

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - A bill to require sugary soft
drinks to carry labels warning of obesity, diabetes and tooth
decay passed the California Senate on Thursday, the latest move
by lawmakers nationwide aimed at persuading people to drink less
soda.

The legislation next goes to the state Assembly, where it is
likely to continue to face an ongoing tug-of-war battle between
the U.S. food and beverage industry and public health officials,
who have lobbied for the measure. Governor Jerry Brown would
then have to sign it into law.

If implemented, the measure would put California, which
banned sodas and junk food from public schools in 2005, in the
vanguard of a growing national movement to curb the consumption
of high-calorie beverages medical experts say are largely to
blame for an epidemic of childhood obesity.

"Liquid sugar is a significant and unique driver of obesity,
preventable diabetes, and tooth decay," said Democratic state
senator Bill Monning, author of the bill. "Some people accuse
this (bill) of nanny governing and yet it is the government
that's responsible to protect the public health and safety of
its people."

In 2012, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
spearheaded a citywide ban on sales of oversized sugary soft
drinks, but the move was declared illegal by a state judge after
a court challenge by makers of soft drinks and a restaurant
group. New York's highest court has agreed to hear an appeal.

The California measure, passed on Thursday by a 21-13 vote
in the state Senate, marks the second time that Monning, who
represents the central coastal area around Carmel, has tried to
influence consumers' drink choices.

Last year, he backed an unsuccessful measure that would have
taxed soft drinks.

"Putting government warning labels on more than 500
beverages will do nothing to change personal behaviors or teach
people about healthy lifestyles," said CalBev, the California
arm of the American Beverage Association, in a statement. "The
last thing California needs is more warning labels."